What are the advantages of seeking city status? Advantages of seeking city status include:
Increased recognition - as a city, we would have greater influence with state and federal government, which could help us to better access funding for enhanced services and infrastructure
Community pride and identity - city status could help us to embrace, as a wider community, our identity as a fast-growing, diverse and vibrant place.
A population threshold of 20,000 people allows local governments to consider a change in classification from a Shire to a city.
The Shire of Harvey is currently exploring the possibility of reclassifying as a city in response to ongoing population growth and increasing service demands.
Council has initiated engagement and detailed research before deciding whether to pursue city status. This includes public consultation to evaluate:
- The financial implications
- Community sentiment
The principle benefit in becoming a city is the enhanced reputation and status that is conferred on local governments who achieve city status. This often leads to the Council having increased influence and ability to engage with the State and Commonwealth Government in relation to services and the amount of funding provided to Shire residents.
Local governments can be designated as a city, a town or a shire. These terms group local governments by factors like:
- Population size and density
- Whether the area is urban or rural.
City
- Large population (20,000+ people in regional areas or 30,000+ people in the metropolitan area)
- More than half of the population lives in an urban area
- Head of the Council is called a Mayor
Town
- Small to moderate population (less than is required to be classified a city)
- Most of the population live in urban areas
- Head of the Council is called a Mayor
Shire
- Relatively small population (less than is required to be classified a city)
- Most of the population live outside of urban areas
- Head of the Council is called a Shire President.
If a local government is not classified as a city or town, it is automatically classified as a Shire.
The Local Government Act 1995 section 2.4 sets out two main requirements for a regional local government to be recognised as a city. These are:
- A population of at least 20,000 people
- More than half of the population lives in an urban area
LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 1995
How is the population of a Local Government calculated?
Section 2.4(6) of the Act states that the number of inhabitants of a district at a particular time is to be taken as:
- That established by the Government Statistician appointed under the Statistics Act 1907; and
- According to the information then available to that person.
Under the Act, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) performs this role. As such, ABS data informs whether the population threshold is met.
What is meant by an Urban Area?
The ABS uses statistical population density data to determine if an area is urban or if it is rural.
Population density is determined based on different kinds of geographic areas, such as statistical area levels.
Statistical Areas Level 1 (SA1s) are geographic areas with a population between 200-800 people that contain things like residential development, infrastructure, parks, vegetation corridors, facilities, and waterways. Urban SA1s generally contain more than 200 people per square kilometre. Rural SA1s generally contain less than 200 people per square kilometre.
Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2s) are built up from SA1s. Their purpose is to represent a community that interacts together socially and economically. They generally have a population between 3,000 and 25,000 people.
More information about Statistical Areas
Adjacent urban SA1s are combined to form urban centres if they meet the following requirements:
- The combined population of urban SA1s is 1,000 persons or more
- The combined urban SA1s have an urban identity, such as:
- shared urban facilities of some kind
- an identifiable name
Urban Centres and Localities | Australian Bureau of Statistics
According to ABS data, the Australind – Leschenault SA2:
- Has a population of 21,238 people as recorded in 2024
- A population density of 315.5 people per hectare
This meets the criteria to be considered an “urban” area.
Data by region | Australian Bureau of Statistics
Requirement 1: A population of at least 20,000 people
The Shire of Harvey has a population of 31,495 reported by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in 2024. Our population growth rate from 2023-2024 was 693 people, or 2.2 per cent.
Recent building approval figures suggest strong population growth will continue in future years. Developments and housing projects are planned for areas including East Treendale, south of Binningup, Roelands and Harvey.
As a result, the Shire’s population is expected to exceed that of the City of Bunbury within 5 to 10 years.
Requirement 2: More than half of the population lives in an urban area
61% of the Shire’s population live in the Australind – Leschenault urban area, with the ABS reporting that the population of Australind – Leschenault was 19,256 at the 2021 census.
The maps below shows the location of rural and urban areas in the Shire of Harvey.
Urban areas in the Shire of Harvey
Image source: Australian Bureau of Statistics
Rural areas in the Shire of Harvey
Image source: Australian Bureau of Statistics
The Shire of Harvey has diverse communities and landscapes, all with very different needs and experiences – and most of our geographical areas are rural communities, existing alongside urban communities.
However, as the population of the Bunbury urban area has continued to grow, it has expanded outside of the City of Bunbury, with most of the population growth occurring in the Shires of Capel, Dardanup and Harvey.
This has caused rapid growth of the Shire of Harvey’s urban population, which continues to grow more strongly than the population of the rural areas. As a result, more than 60% of the Shire’s population now resides in the Leschenault urban area.
Whether our identity as a wider community is urban, rural, or both – shire or city – is an important question, and one for the community to decide as we grow and evolve together. How do we see ourselves now? How will see ourselves in 20 years?
If a decision was made to become a city, the process would depend on which of the following options was preferred:
- Keep the current name (e.g., City of Harvey)
- Change the name to something else (e.g., City of …)
Keep the current name
If the proposal is for the Shire of Harvey to become the City of Harvey, an application is made directly to the Minister for Local Government. The Shire’s proposal must include current population data from the Government Statistician appointed under the Statistics Act 1907 (ss.2.4(6) Local Government Act 1995).
However, based on a previous application for City status made by the City of Kalamunda, the Minister may request the following additional information to inform their decision, including:
- Evidence of community consultation on the proposed change
- Evidence of community consultation on the cost of implementing the proposed change
If the proposal is successful, the Minister for Local Government will recommend that the shire changes its designation to city. This change is then made by the Governor’s Order (ss.2.4(2)).
Change the name to something else
The process to change the name of a local government is set out in Sections 2.1. and 2.2., and Schedules 2.1 and 2.2 of the Local Government Act 1995.
A name change is independent of the proposal to change designation from a Shire to a City. The process to change the name to anything other than the City of Harvey is as follows:
The proposed name must be submitted to the Local Government Board.
The Local Government Board will assess the application for a new name. They will consider things like:
- Community interests
- Physical and topographic features
- Demographic trends
- Economic factors
- History of the area
- Transport and communication
- The viability of local government
- The effective delivery of government services
- Other relevant matters
After making their enquiries, they will provide a report to the Minister with a recommendation. This may be one of the following:
- Accept the proposal
- Reject the proposal
- A different recommendation
If the Advisory Board recommends that the name change be approved, the Minister for Local Government can make a recommendation to the Governor of Western Australia on the proposed name change.
Note: The Local Government Advisory Board will also require that the Local Government has consulted with its local community regarding the proposed name change.
The timeframe is quite open and will be dependent on:
- How long it takes Council to decide to proceed or not
- Whether a name change is proposed (If a name change is proposed, the Local Government Advisory Board will determine how long it needs to report to the Minister)
- How long it takes the Minister to make a decision
The City of Kalamunda process took approximately two years from commencement of the process until reclassification was finalised.
Community consultation costs
Council has allocated $15,000 to allow for staff to investigate a potential change in designation for the shire to become a city. This includes information gathering and community consultation. Community consultation will include items such as:
- A mail out to ratepayers
- Community drop-in sessions
Change of designation to city costs
If the change was to go ahead, costs would include things like:
- Updated branding
- Updated signage
- Uniforms and stationery
Updated branding
There are two options for updated branding that could be considered.
- In-house: We maintain our existing logo graphic element. Our marketing team update only the name, using the current brand guidelines. Cost - Nil
- We source a brand refresh through an external provider, including development of a concept, logo design, and style guide. Cost - Approximately $18,000.
Updated signage
- Replacement of signs at the Harvey and Australind administration centres is estimated to cost around $6,500.
- Replacement of seven Local Government Area boundary signs is estimated at $1,400 manufacture and installation per sign, plus $13,000 for associated traffic management across all sites. This would work out to around $22,800.
All other rebranding and replacement
To keep costs to a minimum, updates to uniforms, stationery and other signage would be staged to happen only when they were due for replacement as part of business as usual.
The City of Busselton previously reported that their transition costs were significantly reduced through following this process.
No. City status does not alter the amount that Councillors, the CEO or other shire staff are paid.
The maximum amount that Councillors and the CEO can be paid are determined by the “Band” within which a local government sits. The Shire of Harvey is currently a “Band 2” Local Government.
Staff salaries are determined by the CEO or through the Shire’s Enterprise Agreement with staff and are based on:
- The complexity of the role
- The qualifications and experience of the person.
The band within which a Local Government sits are determined by the Salaries and Allowances Tribunal and is dependent on:
- Population size
- Complexity of the local government area
Most local governments that are designated as Cities are classified as Band 1.
However, several are classified as Band 2. Band 2 Cities include:
- City of Nedlands – population 25,104
- City of South Perth – population 47,909
- City of Subiaco – population 19,452
- City of Vincent – population 41,479
No. Rates will not be affected by a reclassification to City status.
Local Government Councils set rates as a part of their annual budget cycle. Rates are raised to fund expected increases in expenditure within this framework.
How local governments are funded
Local governments have three sources of funding:
- Rates levied on properties. These are used to maintain services to the community.
- Grant funding sourced from State and Commonwealth Governments. These are used primarily for road upgrades and to subsidise other services provided by the local government to its community. Local governments may also obtain additional grant funding from governments or other funding bodies such as Lotterywest. These are usually for specific purposes such as capital works projects.
- Fees and charges levied for services. This includes things like membership fees to recreation centres.
The amount of grant funding that a local government receives is dependent on:
- The ability of the local government to raise funds itself
- The amount of funds it requires to maintain services to its community.
Information on how much a local government receives in State and Commonwealth Government assistance grants can be found on the Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety website.
Financial Assistance Grants | LGIRS
Reasons for rates increases
Rate increases are normally related to increases in the cost of fuel, electricity, wages and other costs incurred by the local government during the year.
Rate increases may also be necessary to raise the funds to undertake capital works projects to improve services to the community. Grant funding bodies often provide only a percentage of the cost of these works.
The costs of reclassification to city status are not significant in terms of the Shire’s budget. If the reclassification were to go ahead, they will not impact the amount residents pay in shire rates.
No.
Population growth is dependent on the number of new people moving to the Shire, minus the number of people who move out of the Shire.
As noted above, the Shire of Harvey is experiencing rapid growth in its population. This is expected to continue in the next decade (and potentially beyond) as new housing is constructed in planned development areas such as Treendale South, East Treendale, Binningup and other parts of the shire.
This growth will occur whether the Shire of Harvey becomes a city or remains a Shire.
Changing our status from Shire to City does not require a name change.
However, it is an opportunity to consider a name change - and there is a question in the survey seeking community feedback on names for consideration.
Any new name would need to reflect the identity and character of our area, recognising that we have a diverse community and landscape - rural and urban, ocean to hills, north to south.
The Shire of Harvey has the largest population of any regional Shire, based on ABS 2024 population figures:
- Shire of Harvey – 31,495
- Shire of Capel – 19,700
- Shire of Dardanup – 15,930
- Shire of Augusta Margaret River – 19,410
- Shire of Collie – 9,408
- Shire of Murray – 20,563
- Shire of Waroona – 4,537
The Shire of Mundaring (population 42,327) and Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale (population 38,631), have populations greater than the Shire of Harvey. This is due to Perth’s urban areas spilling out into their Shires. Both shires are designated as metropolitan and are not considered to be regional local governments. Both shires may consider city status in the future.
Regional cities include:
- City of Albany - 40,949
- City of Bunbury – 35,174
- City of Busselton - 45,003
- City of Kalgoorlie Boulder - 30,775
- City of Karratha - 24,237
The Shire of Harvey’s population is rapidly approaching that of the City of Bunbury. The City of Bunbury had a population of 35,174 in 2024 - a difference of 3,679 people.
In 2024, the Shire of Harvey’s growth rate (2.2%) was twice as high as that of the City of Bunbury (1.1%) and higher than that of the Shire of Capel (1.9%) and Shire of Dardanup (1.5%) but slightly lower than that of the City of Busselton (2.3%). (Figures for growth rates are between 2023 and 2025 based on ABS 2025 data).
Regional population, 2023-24 financial year | Australian Bureau of Statistics